Saudi Arabia’s deal to host the World Heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury later this year is not part of a “vanity” project for the kingdom, but a continued effort to engage the population and boost the country’s economy, according to Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority (STA).
Joshua is no stranger to Saudi Arabia, having won his rematch against Anthony Ruiz Jr at a purpose-built 15,000-seat, open-air arena at Diriyah, on the outskirts of Riyadh, back in December 2019.
Although the fight between the two UK heavyweights in August has been placed in doubt after a US judge ordered Fury to fight American Deontay Wilder for a third time, there is no doubt that Saudi has established itself as a destination for the sport, having previously hosted bouts involving Amir Khan and George Groves in recent years.
Saudi also staged its first European Tour golf event, the Saudi International, in 2019; while the kingdom hosted the Dakar Rally in 2020; and a street circuit in Jeddah will be the venue for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix later this year.
Activists have accused Saudi rulers of using sport as a tool to try and soften their international image. But Hamidaddin, who remained tight-lipped on the venue for the potential Joshua v Fury match-up, told Arabian Business that could not be further from the truth.
He said: “The government is making the biggest bets on these soft sectors, tourism, culture and sport and entertainment. Some think it’s vanity, that we’re doing it to build and promote a brand Saudi, the answer is no, we’re doing it for our local people, we’re doing it because these human-led sectors are the ones that will continue providing jobs in the future.”
According to figures released from the General Authority for Statistics (GaStat), the unemployment rate in the kingdom fell to 12.6 percent in Q4, 2020, down from 14.9 percent the previous quarter.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority (STA)
Hamidaddin revealed that tourism has provided one-in-five new jobs in the country over the last 10 years, while in the past four years, pre-Covid, that number was one in four.
He said: “So while many sectors are losing jobs to technology, the human-led sectors, and sports is amongst them, will continue providing job opportunities for the youth and that’s what we particularly need in Saudi.”
The GaStat figures also showed the unemployment among young people decreased from 34.2 percent in the third quarter of last year to 28 percent in Q4 – around 65 percent of the country’s population is below the age of 35.
Tourism is playing a huge part in job creation, in particular the $810bn being invested in huge giga-projects, designed to completely transform the industry in the country, including the aforementioned Diriyah, the Red Sea Development, Amaala, Qiddiya and Neom.
Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of the Diriyah Gate
Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of the Diriyah Gate, revealed the development will employ 950 staff by the end of this year, 80 percent of whom will be Saudi. Thirty-six percent of that number will be Saudi women, 16 percent in management positions, with an overall 11 percent of staff from Diriyah itself.
While Jean Pagano, CEO of the Red Sea Development, admitted that building up the service industry is one of the greatest challenges facing all the projects.
He said: “Building the human capital, the infrastructure, to support this huge expansion of the tourist industry in a country where tourism has not featured significantly, certainly in terms of its share of the economy. We’re fortunate to have the right support from the top, from the leadership, but also from the main ministries.
“We’re all behind this to really get the training happening today and be ready for when we start to welcome our guests.”
Jean Pagano, CEO of the Red Sea Development
And Andrew McEvoy, head of the tourism sector at the new mega-city Neom, said there is “huge energy and passion” from Saudis to enter the industry.
“I think tourism is young in Saudi so helping train people and get that service culture is really important,” he said.
“I work with a lot of young Saudis, they are so keen, they are so enthused, so clever and passionate. I have no doubt that all of us will end up bottling an Arabian service culture which will be the equal of anything in the world, but I think that will take time and that’s a big challenge.”
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